The Scientist and the Secretary
by Nell Belle
Summary: Short stories and vignettes about the relationship (and sometimes lack thereof) between Dr. Egon Spengler and Janine Melnitz. Rated T just to be safe.
1. First Meeting

A small wanted ad was posted in the _Village Voice_ newspaper for a secretary. Janine Melnitz, a former secretary fired for being "too brassy" to clients, was in need of a job and was intrigued by the advertisement. She drove to the address listed and found herself at a fixed-up firehouse on North Moore Street.

Janine walked in through the large area she assumed was a garage, as two men worked on an old Cadillac.

"Hello?" she said, a bit nervously. "I'm here about the secretary job."

One of the men jumped up from beneath the car. "Great!" he said, enthusiastically. He wiped his hand on his pants and extended it. "I'm Dr. Ray Stantz, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss…"

"Melnitz. Janine Melnitz."

"Right. Well, Miss Melnitz, if you could just step into the office over here, we can get your interview started." He turned back to face the car and called to the other man, "Peter, be careful with that!"

"Okay, okay!" a voice-presumably Peter's-said.

Ray led Janine into what could be considered an office. There were chairs and a desk, which he then sat behind. She sat down in front of him.

"Did you bring any references?"

"No," Janine replied. "That's an old-fashioned idea, I think. But I _can_ tell you that I can type a hundred words per minute, _no _questions asked."

"Great," he said with a hint of a sigh. "When can you start?"

Suddenly, Janine spotted another man walk in. He was tall, with dark hair and round glasses, and wore a three-piece suit. Her eyes widened at the sight of him.

"Today!" she said eagerly.

"Fantastic!" Ray stood up, then noticing the other man. "Egon," he said to get his attention. "Egon, I'd like to you meet our new secretary, Janine Melnitz."

"Hello," he said stiffly.

"Janine, this is Dr. Egon Spengler."

"Hi…"

She shook his hand and felt what could only be described as a flutter throughout her whole body. Janine was instantly attracted to this handsome intellectual.

"Welcome to the team, Janine!" Ray said proudly.

"Yes, welcome," echoed Egon.

Janine smiled. "I can tell I'll look forward to working with you."


	2. The Lucky Coin

**A/N: Thanks for the nice comments on the first story in this collection! This one takes place before, during, and after the battle with Gozer. Some of the dialogue comes from a deleted scene with Janine and Egon…I wish they'd left that in the movie! Anyway, happy reading, everyone!**

The stakes were high on what could possibly be the end of the world. The Ghostbusters were getting ready to go out to defeat Gozer the Gozerian, with an excited crowd surrounding them and cheering them on. Among the crowd was Janine Melnitz, who spotted Egon Spengler almost immediately.

"Egon!" she cried, running over to him. "Oh, Egon!"

"Janine-"

"Here," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small coin. "I want you to take this."

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's a souvenir from the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows in 1964," Janine explained. "It's my lucky coin."

"I don't believe in luck. I shouldn't take it; we might not be coming back."

"Take it anyway. I've got another one at home."

She gave him a tight hug, holding back her tears. Janine was so worried about Egon; she feared she may never see him again. That hug felt like it lasted for all the time in the world...until it was broken up by Peter Venkman.

"Janine!" he yelled out. "Didn't your mama tell you not to get involved with no Ghostbuster? Now go on home."

Janine glanced up at Egon, then looked angrily at Peter before returning her gaze to Egon, his brown eyes meeting hers.

"Goodbye," she whispered, walking away as the tears formed in her eyes once more.

The Ghostbusters got in their car, ready to go off to their big fight with a Sumerian god. The crowd on the streets cheered and yelled out words of encouragement. Janine, on the other hand, just stood and watched. As the Ecto-1 passed where she was standing on the sidewalk, she jumped up, hoping to be seen over the people in front of her.

"Egon, be careful!" she shouted. Then, lowering her voice to nearly a whisper, she said, "_Please_."

The battle was long and hard, lasting through the night and not finishing until the next morning. But Janine stood in that same spot on the city street, looking up and trying to see what was happening on the rooftop of Dana Barrett's apartment building.

When the sun rose, it seemed as though the struggle had ended. Janine nervously looked around, waiting to see any sign of the Ghostbusters-specifically, Egon. Finally, they all came out of the building, and Janine went running up to the love of her life.

"Egon!"

He turned his head when he heard his name, smiling upon seeing who had shouted it out. "Janine!"

She pulled him in for an embrace, her hands on either side of his face. "Oh, you're safe!"

He threw his arm around her shoulder and the two of them got into the Ecto-1, driving off with the rest of the gang. The Ghostbusters reigned victorious!

"So," Janine said, looking at Egon. "_Now _do you believe in luck?"


	3. Taking the First Step

Janine sat at her desk, answering the phone that seemed to ring every few seconds. However, between—and sometimes, during—calls, she still found time to spot Egon from across the room and make eye-contact with him. It apparently made him uncomfortable the few times he noticed it.

After a few days of this happening, Egon sat on his bed upstairs, examining his PKE meter that had been acting faulty for no apparent reason. The other three Ghostbusters were attempting to mind their own business, though they'd all been very aware of Janine's attraction to Egon.

Egon cleared his throat. Ray, Peter, and Winston all raised their heads, hoping he'd say something. Granted, it was partially so they could tease him in a friendly way.

"Guys," Egon began, not looking up from his PKE meter. "Do you…well…have you ever _noticed_ how Janine keeps looking at me?"

"With the bug eyes?" chimed in Peter. Ray shot him a disapproving glance. "Hey, it's not like she's here to hear me."

"I've noticed," replied Winston. "Does it bother you?"

"I suppose not, no. I was simply wondering if you'd noticed it." Egon looked up and put the PKE in his lap. "Do you think she…might have a bit of a—a _crush_ on me?" he stammered.

The other three Ghostbusters held back their smiles. It was blatantly obvious that Janine was head-over-heels in love with Egon, but he, putting his work before everything else, just hadn't noticed until now.

"It's possible," Ray said. "Why don't you ask her out?"

"I considered it, but I don't know where to take her. Do you think she'd like to see the traveling mushroom exhibit that's in town this week?"

"Egon," Peter said, leaning forward. "Janine won't want to stand around looking at funguses."

"_Fungi_," corrected Egon.

"Yes, yes I am a fun guy," replied Peter, taking an opportunity to make a stupid joke. "Unlike you, who wants to take your girl out to look at mushrooms."

"Why not a movie?" suggested Winston.

"She'd most likely want to see some mindless, romantic fluff." Egon stood up and began to walk toward the door, when Peter jumped up and stopped him.

"Spengler," he said. "Here's a wild idea: why don't you just _ask her _what she'd like to do?"

"I was planning on doing exactly that; now, please let me get downstairs."

Janine was filing her nails, as the day was coming to an end, and so were the calls. She heard the sound of footsteps approaching her desk, and upon putting her glasses back on she looked up to see Egon standing before her.

"Hello, Dr. Spengler," she said.

"Janine," he began. "Would you be interested in, uh, _going out_ somewhere with me?" He put an awkward emphasis on the words "going out."

"Would I?" Janine replied eagerly. "Of course I would! What kind of thing did you have in mind?"

"I really don't know. What would you want to do?"

"I've always wanted to go dancing. Do you dance, Egon?" _What a stupid question_, thought Janine. _Of course he doesn't dance_.

"Not really, no." Egon watched as Janine's smile began to fade. In an attempt to save his efforts, he said quickly, "But I suppose there's a first for everything."

"Great! Could we go out tonight?"

He wanted to fix that malfunctioning PKE Meter, but he could always assign that job to Ray; he knew enough to repair it himself. Egon smiled slightly, a thing he did not do often, and replied with a simple "Sure."


	4. I Could Have Danced All Night

**A/N: Thanks again for nice reviews! This is the continuation of the previous chapter, because I felt it was too long to have it as a single story.**

Janine was fixing her hair when she heard a knock on the door.

"Just a minute!" she called whilst mentally debating whether or not to wear her glasses. She decided to. "I hope I look okay," Janine mumbled to herself on her way to the door. She opened it to see Egon, holding a wilting bouquet and dressed in a gray three-piece suit: his typical formal attire.

"Hi," she said, rather shyly.

"Hello, Janine." Egon glanced down at the flowers with a disapproved look. "These are for you."

"Thank you!" Janine replied with false enthusiasm. "They're…uh…lovely. Shall we go?"

"Yes. I mean, we shall…"

Janine put the flowers in a vase that was sitting on a small table nearby, grabbed her purse, and headed out the door.

As she and Egon walked downstairs, he began to notice that she looked quite different. It was a good different, but still slightly surprising to him. Usually, she came to work in sweaters, but tonight, she wore a pink cocktail dress that was fitted in all the right places.

They made their way to a dance club downtown, and Egon grew increasingly nervous the closer they got. Finally, the two arrived and Janine was already happy upon hearing the music playing. She was, however, less happy when she overheard a group of women, young enough to be her little sisters, giggling and chatting.

"Look over there! That's Egon Spengler, the Ghostbuster!" said one.

"I think he's the cutest out of all of them!" smirked another.

"Who's that girl he's with?" asked the third one.

Janine decided to tune them out. She looked up at Egon, who was staring intently in front of him.

"Egon, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he replied, turning to look at her. "I thought I felt a bit of a cold spot."

"If something's here, they'll call us on Monday morning," Janine said. "Now, come on! We're here to dance, remember?"

Egon let Janine do all of the dancing. He occasionally shifted his weight from foot to foot, but for the most part, he simply stood with his hands thrust in his pockets, Janine dancing around him as if he were a Maypole. A minute or two later, she stopped and looked up at him.

"You're uncomfortable, aren't you?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Very."

"I think I know a better place for us to dance," Janine suggested.

She took his hand and pulled him through the crowd of people, until they reached the back exit. Outside, there was a small lot with two cars parked in it, but nothing else otherwise. The music was faint, but audible.

"Well, this is a better environment," Egon commented. "But I really don't know if I want to dance."

"Come on, Egon!" Janine complained. "You said yourself that there's a first for everything."

"Very well," he sighed.

Awkwardly, he took one hand in hers and put the other around her waist. She rested her head on his chest-she would have put it on his shoulder, but it didn't reach that far up. They danced slowly, to the tempo of the song. Janine closed her eyes and smiled. Egon looked down at her, although most of what he could see was auburn hair.

They danced for the remainder of the song, rarely speaking. When it was over, she looked back up at him.

"You're not half bad," she smiled.

"Not half good, either," he responded, in an attempt to make a joke. "Do you still want to dance?"

"No," Janine lied. "One dance is better than none at all. Want to get something to eat?"

He agreed, and they went walking through the city looking for food. The two of them couldn't agree on anything, and a few taxi rides later, they settled on a diner that was still open at that time of night. While they ate, Egon—one of the city's heroes in his own right—was swamped for autographs by enthusiastic New Yorkers.

It was well into the night by this point, and Egon decided it was a good idea to take his very tired secretary home for some well-needed rest. He practically carried her up to her apartment, as she was sleepy and her feet hurt from walking around the city in heels. She got settled, and the two said their goodbyes.

"Thank you, Egon," smiled Janine. "I really did have a lovely time."

"Yes, well..." Egon stammered. "I'll see you on Monday?"

She rolled her eyes slightly. "Of course."

"Good night, Janine."

"Good night, Egon!"

Janine got ready for bed, yet she wasn't as tired as she had been earlier. She kept thinking of her dance with Egon and what a lovely, though peculiar, date she'd had.

Suddenly, she remembered being a young girl and going into Manhattan with her parents. They saw the musical _My Fair Lady _on Broadway, and one of the show's most famous songs stuck out in Janine's mind:

_"I only know when he began to dance with me/I could have danced, danced, danced all night!"_


	5. Haunted Night

After another day spent working for the Ghostbusters, Janine started to gather her things before leaving for the night. However, she had an idea to try out. She said goodnight to her bosses, before approaching one in particular.

It was no secret that Janine was harboring a crush on Spengler. In fact, her attraction was so blatantly obvious that even Egon was aware of it—and despite his intellect, he was not usually one to notice such things. He'd even taken her out once by this point, though he didn't intend to have anything evolve from it.

"Egon," she said quietly, tapping him on the shoulder.

He lifted his head from _Tobin's Spirit Guide_ and looked down at her. "I'll see you on Monday, Janine," he said, before returning to the book.

Janine placed her hand over the page he was reading. "Egon, I'd like to talk to you."

"Yes?"

"Well…" she began. "Remember when Dana Barrett had that problem with her refrigerator and Dr. Venkman went over to investigate it?"

"I take it you're referring to when she was possessed by Gozer's minion, Zuul," Egon replied.

"I've got the same thing in my fridge."

"Janine, I _highly _doubt you have the same problem," Egon said with a raised eyebrow." "We took care of Gozer. I'm sure you were in the crowd that had gathered to watch."

"I swear I do!" she protested. Janine knew better than to argue with Egon. After all, she wasn't even telling the truth. This was just an attempt for her to try and get closer to him. "Could you please just give everything a look so I can feel safe in my own home?"

"Fine," Egon sighed heavily. "Ray and I will drive over to your apartment…"

"Egon," Janine interrupted. "I'd prefer it if only _one_ of you escorted me home."

"All right, Ray will drive over to your apartment."

She rolled her eyes. "Look. You and I, we have a pretty good rapport," she said. "I like Ray, he's a nice guy, but after all that happened during the Gozer thing I'd like it better if you were the one who checked it out."

"I just hope this is worthwhile," Egon muttered, putting his book down and beginning to mentally go over what he'd need for the investigation.

"Janine, everything seems normal to me," Egon said, having just completed a thorough search of the apartment. "The PKE meter hasn't picked anything up."

"Oh, well, it…" Janine's voice trailed off as she tried to think of a way to keep him there longer. "It gets worse during the night!"

"Would it put you at ease if I ran an additional scan in about thirty minutes?" he asked, although Egon certainly would rather have just left than spend any more time in his secretary's apartment.

"I think it would. Egon, why don't you come into the living room? You should at least be comfortable if you're going to be here for another half-hour." She made an attempt to take his arm.

"I suppose," he replied, sounding slightly unsure of himself. They walked into the living room and she motioned for him to take a seat on the couch. He promptly took to straightening his tie and sternly looking around, trying to figure out what was causing the strange phenomena Janine had claimed was occurring.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked. "Maybe something to eat? I notice you don't do much of that during the work day."

"Work is more important than eating."

"Oh. That's...fascinating."

Janine tried to make small-talk. She would gradually move closer to Egon until they had gone from being at complete opposite ends of the couch to almost right next to each other. She bored him to death with stories of her personal life, and then he did the same to her after being asked about his collection of spores, molds, and fungus.

Finally, Egon realized that the thirty minutes had passed. He grabbed the PKE meter and immediately started scanning the area. Much to his surprise, it started to beep very loudly, as if something that was not supposed to be there had made its way into the room.

Janine followed him as he moved the meter in directions that picked up more readings. Finally, they stopped in the short hall between her bedroom and bathroom.

"You stay here," he told her, before entering the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Janine looked on, horrified at what _could_ actually be in her apartment. To her knowledge, there hadn't been any paranormal activity taking place at all. Obviously, something was there for real. Egon's equipment certainly wouldn't lie.

"Do you see anything?" she called.

"I'm picking up readings that suggest a strong paranormal presence may—" His speech was cut off by a blood-curdling scream coming from the hallway. Egon ran back out to Janine, who was petrified.

"I saw a woman," she said, collapsing into his arms. "She just stared at me, but I've never seen her before."

"Where?" he asked.

"There!" Janine pointed down the hall. Egon promptly began scanning the approximate area.

"It must have been an apparition of some kind," he said.

In the time that passed, the apparition made one other appearance, this time before the both of them. She was a young woman, rather average-looking, dressed in clothing that suggested she had come from the 1920s. She spoke once, only saying the name "Shandor."

"Shandor?" Janine repeated. "What's a 'Shandor'?"

"Ivo Shandor," Egon explained. "The founder of the modern Cult of Gozer. I suspect she was one of his supporters. A Gozer worshipper."

"See?" she cried. "I _told_ you it had to do with that Gozer thing!"

The next thing he said was practically music to her ears: "I think I should stay here tonight."

Janine made an effort to hide her excitement. "Why?" she asked. "Am I not safe?"

"Well, she seems harmless, but the Gozer link is making me slightly weary." Egon cleared his throat. "I—_we_, rather—wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

She smirked. "There isn't a receptionist in New York who could put up with you guys like I do."

"We're lucky to have you on the team," he admitted. Janine detected a hint of a smile on his face. "Janine, you might as well get to bed. It's getting late and I'll be here for a while. I could just let myself out."

"I'll stay up with you."

Janine's idea of staying awake with Egon backfired. They were sitting on the couch again when she abruptly fell into his lap, fast asleep. He removed her glasses for her, and let out the faintest hint of a laugh. She had been so determined to help him, and there she was sleeping. Egon figured now was the best time to work his fourteen minutes of sleep into his schedule. He got about seven minutes before being awoken by a strange chill.

The apparition had appeared again! She was less than a foot away, looking longingly at Janine, asleep in Egon's lap. He had to reach his PKE meter, but if he moved he knew he'd wake her. So he decided to make direct contact with the spirit.

"Who are you?" he whispered.

"Gloria Scott," the apparition responded. "Who are you? And who is she?"

"My name is Dr. Egon Spengler, and this is Janine Melnitz."

"She speaks often of you," replied Gloria. "You must love her."

Egon was caught off-guard. "I care about her," he said, albeit flustered. "Gloria, why are you inhabiting Janine's home?"

"I want to bring us together."

"You and Janine?"

"No. Janine and us." There was a flash of bright light and Gloria seemed to disappear. Egon shook Janine awake.

"Janine? Janine!"

"Huh?"

"Get out of here. I think the ghost in your apartment wants to possess you."

"Where should I go?" Janine asked, sitting up.

"Go back to headquarters," instructed Egon. "Wake the other guys up and ask them if they know of any connections between Shandor and a woman called Gloria Scott."

Janine put her glasses on and got up to get her coat. "Anything else?"

"Bring me my trap and my proton pack. I'll need them." He put his hands on her shoulders. "Be careful, Janine."

As Janine drove down to the firehouse, Egon inspected her apartment for any more unusual behavior. He saw something out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned there was nothing there. Suddenly, everything went black…

When Egon's vision came back, he was on the floor of Janine's bedroom, the apparition that was Gloria Scott standing in front of him, staring menacingly.

"You _stupid_ man!" she snarled. "You're just like Ivo. That woman would give anything for you."

Meanwhile, Janine frantically ran through the main entrance of the Ghostbusters headquarters, past the Ecto-I, past her desk, straight to the fireman's pole above which the Ghostbusters resided.

"Dr. Stantz! Dr. Venkman! Mr. Zeddemore!" she called, almost sounding like a desperate scream. Ray, Peter, and Winston all jumped out of bed to see what the problem was.

"Janine!" exclaimed Ray. "What's the matter? Where's Spengler?"

"At my apartment. He thinks I'm at risk of being possessed," she explained. "He wants to know everything about some guy called Shandor and a woman named Gloria Scott."

"Shandor..." Ray repeated. "The Gozer guy!"

"Dana's architect?" asked Peter.

"Oh, not this again..." Winston groaned, not looking forward to another battle with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

"He also wants his proton pack and a trap," Janine told them.

"I'll consult my books," Ray said. "Peter, Winston, you guys help her with the equipment."

Ray found a strange passage in one of his books. It was about Gloria Scott, who committed suicide after Ivo Shandor rejected her romantic advances.

Ray brought the book down and read aloud to the others: "_Scott was a member of Shandor's Gozer cult and one of his most devoted followers_. But what would she want with Janine?"

"Beats me," Winston said, "but we'd better get going."

"No. I'm doing this alone," Janine stated sincerely. "This started out as a lie to get Egon to come to my place, but it turns out it really was haunted! I got us into this, and I'll get us out."

She grabbed the trap and made her best effort to lift the proton pack. She was on her way.

When Janine made it back home, Egon was nowhere to be found. She saw his PKE meter on the kitchen counter, beeping like mad. She lifted it up and waved it around until the sound increased, then followed it in that direction. It led her to her room, where she was met with a terrible sight: Gloria Scott's ghost had Egon pinned down against Janine's bed. She was yelling at him frantically.

"How could you be so stupid?" she shrieked. "Men! You're all the same! Too idiotic to realize your soul-mate is right in front of you!"

"You leave him alone!" Janine shouted, activating the proton pack.

"Ah," Gloria remarked with a sinister tone. "If it isn't your true love, here to save you! How romantic. How _pathetic_!"

"What do you want with us?" yelled Janine.

"I went after you so I could feel loved again!" Gloria shrieked, partially angry and partially upset. "But now I realize I would have been miserable, since he obviously doesn't love you at all."

Janine froze. She couldn't stand to hear those words, even if, deep down, she knew that they were probably true. "No…" she whispered.

"Janine, blast her!" Egon shouted. She did as she was told, then passed the pack over to him and opened the trap.

"You and Ivo can be together for all eternity now!" she shouted as Gloria was sucked into the trap. The lid closed and she was contained inside it.

"Oh, Egon!" Janine said with a relieved sigh, rushing over to him. "What happened to you?"

"Well, if anything, she helped me appreciate you a lot more…"

Janine giggled lightheartedly. "Do you think I'm safe?"

"I would say so," Egon replied. "No more ghosts trying to manipulate your love life."

"Who says she was manipulating mine?"

"You mean—I, uh..._you_...?"

She laughed again. "You'd better believe it, Dr. Spengler." Janine walked out into the hall. "I'll call the guys and tell them to come get this trap. Do you want to ride home with them?"

"I'll take your couch, actually."

Janine smiled, but it quickly faded. "Egon, I have something to tell you."

"Yes?"

"I didn't know there was a ghost here. I made up the story about the fridge so I could spend time with you."

Egon was shocked. "But why?" was his only response.

"Because you're always so stiff at work and I wanted to really be alone with you." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

"Janine, I'll forgive you for this, surprisingly. Even if I was nearly destroyed by the ghost of a lovesick Gozer worshipper, I just realized how special you are to me."

"Really?"

"_Really_. But, on second thought, I'll go home with the guys. I'll see you on Monday, Janine."


	6. Daydreaming

**A/N: Who saw the 30th Anniversary screening of Ghostbusters? I went on opening night dressed as Janine and it was the spark I needed to start writing again! This one is short but it's a start.**

After the awkward dancing incident and the fake haunting that turned out to be real, Janine felt embarrassed around Egon. She was very attracted to him but didn't want to get on his nerves. So she kept her distance.

The guys went out on a call, leaving Janine by herself. She was fine with this—there was a nice stack of books and magazines forming on her desk. Right on top was a romance novel. Janine was ashamed of it. Still, she stared longingly at the cover, which featured a man and woman in each other's arms, looking up at one another and smiling. Why couldn't she have that?

Janine rested her head in her hand and closed her eyes. She was sleep-deprived anyway-perhaps now was a good time to catch up on what she had missed. Suddenly, she saw herself in the middle of a crowd. It was very much like the crowd that had gathered once the Ghostbusters defeated Gozer...

Just like that day, Janine raced up to Egon, but suddenly he took her in his arms. She gasped in surprise as he leaned over and kissed her. It resembled the famous picture of the soldier kissing the nurse in Times Square after the end of World War II that Janine recalled seeing.

Her short fantasy was, unfortunately, cut short by the ringing of the phone. Agitated and slightly groggy, she picked it up.

"Ghostbusters," she said. "Mm-hmm. Okay. Yeah, sure, they'll be right on it. Thank you."

_Click_.

A few minutes later, the Ecto-1 came rolling into the firehouse. Janine handed her notes to Ray as he walked by her desk, all the while shifting her gaze to Egon, who was getting his proton pack out of the car, making light conversation with Peter and Winston.

Spengler went to his locker, straightened a few things up, and passed Janine. She tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around she stood on her toes to give him a quick kiss.

"Good luck tonight-it's another haunted hotel."

He cracked a hint of a smile. "Thanks," said Egon. "I'll need it."


	7. A Family Affair

"Egon!" Janine cried as the Ghostbusters arrived back from another call, rushing over to Spengler. "I have some great news!"

"You do?"

"Yes—my cousin's daughter is having her Bat Mitzvah, and I'm invited. Want to be my plus one?"

He turned quickly to look at Peter, Winston, and Ray, who'd overheard the conversation and all three of them nodded in approval. Peter even gave him a thumbs-up.

Focusing his attention back to Janine, Egon replied, "I'll go with you. When is it?"

"Oh, in a few months. I just have to R.S.V.P. in advance."

Janine returned to her desk and Egon joined the others upstairs.

"I've never met her family," he said. "Is this really a good idea?"

"Egon," began Winston, "You like Janine, don't you? You should go to support her."

"I suppose you're right. I have nothing to worry about; it's not like she's asking me to go to a _wedding_."

The big day arrived, and Egon was flabbergasted by the amount of children present who knew who he was and wanted his autograph. One of Janine's nephews even wanted to be a Ghostbuster when he grew up.

"Janine!" said a woman with long red hair, a smile on her face. "How wonderful of you to come! Is this your Egon fella?"

"Egon," Janine said, pulling him away from the group of junior Ghostbuster fanatics. "This is my cousin Phyllis. Her daughter, Jennifer, is the one we're celebrating today."

"Hello," he said, extending his hand. "Dr. Egon Spengler."

Phyllis took it and replied, "Pleased to meet you! Janine has told us a lot about you."

"She has?"

His question went unanswered as another small voice called out "Dr. Spengler!"

Egon turned around and saw a girl with curly auburn hair looking up at him. "Hello there."

"Wow!" she said with a smile. "It's really you! A real Ghostbuster is at my Bat Mitzvah!"

"Oh, so you must be Jennifer," Egon smiled, bending over so he was at her eye level.

"You know," Jennifer said, lowering her voice. "At first, I didn't believe Aunt Janine when she said that she knew you."

"Your Aunt Janine is the best secretary that the other Ghostbusters and I could ask for. She always gets the job done."

"That's so cool!" she exclaimed. "But you have the coolest job. It must be fun to be a scientist that studies ghosts. Ghosts are awesome! Some of my friends don't believe in them, but not me. I know they're real."

"I'm afraid a lot of people feel the way your friends do," replied Egon.

"Can I come visit you guys at your headquarters sometime?"

Before Egon could give her an answer, her mother took her hand. "Come on, sweetie," Phyllis said. "It's almost time for the service to begin. I'm so proud of you!"

He watched as the young girl was ushered into the synagogue. "I think I made a friend, Janine," Egon remarked.

"Oh, Jennifer? She's a sweet kid, isn't she? Come on, let's go and get the good seats."

The service ended which meant it was time for the kids' favorite part of the day: the party. They all piled into cars and drove to a nearby hotel, where the reception was being held. There was a DJ with a seemingly endless record collection, a dance floor, and a large, celebratory cake.

Egon looked at Janine, who was dressed in a pale blue dress with a matching sweater. She was so pretty when she wasn't at work.

"You look very nice today," he said after clearing his throat.

"Oh!" Janine exclaimed, surprised by the compliment. "Thank you, Egon! Hey, do you want to dance?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Egon noticed Jennifer and a few of her friends approaching them.

"Maybe later," he replied. "I think we have company."

Egon found himself being peppered with questions from the kids, and as the group grew larger, he wound up sitting aside Jennifer at the kids' table. Questions ranged from autograph requests to how he makes all of the Ghostbusters' gadgets.

Janine looked on with a smile. She couldn't help but think he looked like a father figure to some of the kids. Meanwhile, Jennifer caught sight of her and got Egon's attention.

"Aunt Janine is looking at you, Dr. Spengler," she whispered. "You should get up and ask her to dance, and I'll tell the DJ to play my favorite record."

"I should?"

"Yeah! She really likes you." With that, Jennifer got up and dashed over to the DJ. In a few seconds, "Holiday" by Madonna blasted through the speakers.

Egon walked over to Janine, straightening his tie. "Sorry about that interruption," he said. "Would you like to dance now? I'll try my best to keep up."

"Of course," Janine smiled.

She started hopping to the beat, and put her arms around Egon's neck. He started out by shifting from foot to foot, occasionally looking down to make sure he didn't step on her feet, and after a few minutes, he started to get the hang of it. By the next song, he felt comfortable dancing. In fact, he felt comfortable enough to twirl Janine around.

When the music switched to something slower, Janine led and Egon followed. They swayed in a circle, her head on his chest (she couldn't reach his shoulder) and her arms around him. Once she managed to ignore the slow-dancing thirteen-year-olds that took up the dance floor, it was pretty romantic.

At the end of the night, Janine and Egon congratulated Jennifer, said their goodbyes, and left hand in hand. As they were walking back to the car, she looked up and noticed he was smiling.

"You look like you enjoyed yourself," remarked Janine.

"I was reluctant at first, considering I don't know your family," Egon began, "But I think the enthusiasm of all the children helped win me over."

"I think that's very nice."

"And my attempt at dancing turned out much better than the last time I tried it, although I'm not sure I'd want to do it again any time soon."

"Egon?"

"Yes?"

She stood on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek, said "Thanks for coming with me," and they walked off into the night.


End file.
